Overview
- SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and CFP Board chair Mark Keenum said they oppose automatic qualifiers, arguing the field should be selected entirely on merit.
- Weekend results bolstered their case as projected automatic-bid placeholders like Virginia and Memphis lost, with potential replacements sitting in the mid-to-low 20s of the AP poll.
- The Big Ten has floated far larger fields, reported up to 28 teams with numerous guaranteed conference slots, and signaled resistance to expanding the selection committee’s discretion.
- Sankey acknowledged no progress toward consensus, describing a stalemate between leagues that will need agreement to alter the format.
- Barring a deal by the Dec. 1 decision point, multiple reports indicate the CFP would carry the 12-team structure into 2026, with ESPN’s $7.8 billion rights package shaping what changes are feasible.